A Study Of The Christian Church In Hong Kong Social Movements

This paper discusses the participation strategy of the Christian Church in the illegal occupation movement from March 2013 to December 2013.Religious groups are important participants in social movements.However,in the process of studying the political development of Hong Kong after its return,religious organizations have always been a group widely ignored by the academic community.In the occupation movement in 2014,the Christian Church showed strong influence and attracted widespread attention.Taking the illegal occupation movement as an example,this paper analyzes the main ways of the Christian Church participating in the social movement with the help of resource mobilization theory and political process theory.Focus on the resource advantages of the Christian Church in participating in the social movement and how the church participates in the illegal occupation of the social movement.The study found that the tense relationship between politics and religion and the compressed living space of the church provide political opportunities for the church to participate in social movements.In this context,with its rich religious resources,the church promoted the efficient mobilization and sustainable development of the occupation movement through three basic strategies: shaping the moral framework of the social movement,providing space for the public to express their opinions,and maintaining the ability of continuous pressure.After the end of the occupation movement,it showed a strong spillover effect,which led to more serious social division and had a far-reaching impact on the anti-amendment movement five years later.In the long run,the Christian Church’s participation in the social movement is out of the consideration of expanding the development space,but excessive political participation and ignoring public services weaken its social credibility,resulting in the further aggravation of the church’s survival dilemma.Through the analysis of the participation mode of the Christian Church in the anti-amendment movement,it is helpful to clarify the causes and consequences of the church’s political participation,and provide some supplements and references for dealing with the relationship between politics and religion in Hong Kong.